Andy Murray suffers straight sets defeat to Frances Tiafoe in second round of Winston-Salem Open

ByJack Bantock

Published 25/08/2021 at 08:39 GMT

The Scotsman struggled on second serves to suffer a dissapointing defeat in his warm-up tournament ahead of the US Open, the site of his first Grand Slam back in 2012. Refusing to blame injuries, the former world number one instead reflected upon a lack of consistency. British number one Dan Evans made it safely through to the next round though, coming from a set down to beat Lucas Pouille.

Andy Murray suffered a straight sets defeat to Frances Tiafoe to crash out of the Winston-Salem Open in the second round.

The Scot fell 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 to his American opponent, far from ideal preparations heading into the US Open which starts on August 30.

A three-time Grand Slam winner, Murray’s career has been disrupted by a series of injuries since undergoing hip surgery in 2019.

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The 34-year-old failed to capitalise on three break points in the first set against the world 51st ranked Tiafoe, before being broken twice in the second as the American eventually cruised to a comfortable victory.

• Highlights: Evans sees off Pouille to progress to Winston-Salem Open third round

Having stood at the pinnacle in November 2016, Murray now finds himself ranked 114th in the world following his injury woes but believes his true current level to be somewhere in the middle of the two.

Winning just under half of points on his second serve, and 35% on second serve returns, the Scot refused to blame poor performance on injuries and instead bemoaned a lack of consistency.

“My level is around 50 or 60 in the world. It's frustrating because if wasn't moving great and not feeling good physically then I would be a bit easier on myself,” Murray said.

“But when I'm winning a low percentage of second-serve points, that's got nothing to do with the physical side of things.

“The positive thing is that I moved well and served well but my level is up and down with no real consistency.

“There are moments in matches where I play well and then I make mistakes or miss returns. I wish I wasn't doing that.”

Better fortunes greeted British number one Dan Evans, who beat Lucas Pouille 3-6 6-4 6-1 to secure safe passage into the third round.

Having missed out on competing at the Tokyo Olympics due to a positive Covid-19 test, the 31-year-old came from a set down to defeat his French opponent.

Highlights: Evans sees off Pouille to progress to Winston-Salem Open third round

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